Show ilk 0 wire we ach um BY flush buffi P Pen nd dwier bior aara M or by A SCOUT ot DIENVILLE I 1 SYNOPSIS traveling by canoe on the mississippi on hla his way to biloxi tn in the tt early days day of the settle settlement lement ett menk of louisiana willis william M Fi brampton Kr ampton rampton spy py known t to 0 indians indian and settlers as a the white indian seen bee a indian post a declaration ot of war against the french for his hi own purposes he hastens to biloxi to carry the news newe to Bl enville french governor brampton ampton Or meets an old friend joe jo labrador indian who warns warn him benville has threatened to hans hang him an a spy opy brampton refuses to turn back he falls falle in a with jules julee nd davalle mattor on choir way to biloxi to secure wives from a ship ahle the malre bringing women arroita france at biloxi bram brampton protects a woman from 1 erfet brutality CHAPTER II fl continued 1 1 will you yoo walk to where the boats are so you may go to the molar main I 1 asked godl god I 1 she bhe shivered staring fran about to the main to the wildern wilderness esal 1 to the sav ageal anything to escape that I 1 and her gaze followed the group of forlorn creatures now pawing and mauling the two Mat matters tors my bly name Is brampton im english something of an outlaw from virginia you come came to help make louisiana great 1 I am claire claere ive come to die she clie simply replied you fear that they misrepresented conditions to you she gave me ine a quick sidelong glance at as sharp ani penetrating as the point of it a needle and with more control of her voice informed me 1 I was picked up in a raid my first thought wits wag that she must be the daughter of some poor former farmer for the companas comp anys agents in rounding founding up tip the friendless to ship overseas had no scruples in taking the daughters of the poor bo be they ever so BO virtuous 0 hut but a glance at the slim allin white hands bands so aristocratic and so unused to labor sent a chill to my heart site she was poor but no daughter of poor but honest people stio site had been picked up in A raid that was easily understood but a young woman with slim soft hands who had not worked and yet there was infinite appeal in the small face and silent grief her utter helplessness inci poised t tie he inevitable suspicion anyway aniway it wits was not for me to condemn nor I 1 broke the silence by offering 1 I will walk with ith you to the shore and soa you u start in one of the first boats boals iler her head jerked up as I 1 spoke be cv cn ise of some aloof aloofness fiess in my tone I 1 fear I 1 had not meant to be crupl cruel for she bhe was heartsick and body sick a ry young woman as helpless as a child and marooned vi li a land which nut be to her a perpetual revelation of borr horrors ors it will be good to go in abe boat she managed to say any dut but perhaps not the first boat it depends it will largely depend on his excel lences orders I 1 corrected but they the women sald said there would be much waiting too few bo boats to 1 I can tell better when I 1 see them loading here was fine picking and choosing choos ng for one of her world tour name Is not french I 1 remarked tor for the sake of saying ome thing as we walked along the danish I 1 am danish sh softly replied and from paris or one of the villager aarli last I 1 have no home nothing we were now nov on the outskirts of a daro crous mob where men and women follit fo to he be first to leave the island I 1 saw Bl enville calmly directing bis big soldiers one packet was filled and g for the main another had room for two or three and bienville ran his cool naze gaze over the pushing jostling crowd his eyes rested on we me for a moment without a sign of recognition then his arm shot out nd and a finger pointed in my direction au and his bis voice rose rosa above the contagion confusion to command that woman back there them no the on w in black come mademoiselle she paused lor for a moment and anxiously examined those aboard the bout boat end and then glided forward without a word or a glance fiance for me there was a commotion behind me and a short spider of a man who walked like a sailor prid and whose withered face denoted a long lone lifo evilly spent it if there is in anything in physiognomy snarled aloud and with unexpected strength hurled two men and a woman from his path in lite his efforts to follow her she heard the animal tike cry and turned her head bead and an there was an awful horror in her suze as she beheld the roan man and her ryes eyes bought mine and pi added protection instantly I 1 knew she did not want tills this fellow to follow her intuition told me her fear of him was the reason she was unwilling to make for the boats until she had bad seen him depart or knew he was left behind instinctively my long leg shot out and the toe of my moccasin caught his instep and he be was down on his face in the sand by the time he scrambled to his feet she ehe was in the boat and blen ville also was waa aboard the governor was calling back to the sergeant the others must wait till the next trip get them rations from the ship the boat drew away from the shore and the hideous little man was at my throat I 1 leaped back and he be attacked for the second time lie he hold hod very long arms and one hand held a dirk I 1 guarded with the barrel of my musket and flung him back on the sand this tinie time be roa 1 more slowly his bis small deep set eyes glowing with murder as he took time to 40 inspect me much wiser I 1 told him film your voyage made you bloodthirsty drown me in bilge but youre english 1 he exclaimed some of the malevolence le leaving his puckered faco face then venomously blast your eyell you stopped me from making the main lie ile stood with his long arms hanging limply at lils his sides bides and I 1 noticed the little unger finger on each hand was missing ue he had the appearance of great age and yet he had been as active as a monkey when lie sought my throat ills excellency would have turned you back the boat was filled they taken off all the women yet I 1 said Wo women meni 1 he be chuckled turning 0 o three women who had bad been attracted by the scene the three lost their brazen boldness and shrunk shrank back from ills haz leering gaze women I 1 he repeated ive seen em afloat and ive seen em ashore and the dear creatures always took kindly to dd bill old six fingers Is your name one cried making the sign of the cross yoa you came over on the malre I 1 inquired aye mate come because it was mv mf choice A man who sailed with davis and helped sack pensacola in sixty ove live aint to be made to take any voyages he dont fancy I 1 want to git ashore and bunt for abr some of them mines nil england and france Is talking about mines mines I 1 yelled a clear voice and a young man in tattered finery came rushing rubbing from the direction of one of the ponds his yellow curls blowing in the breeze his pale dissolute face redeemed by a whimsical inalle sin lie I 1 the road 1 screamed one of the wenches throwing herself in hla his path and clawing at his ragged cloak which he be wore jauntily although the sun poured down terrific heat beat the fellow brushed her aside and stared at roe me recognizing me as aa i ft tranger stranger then arranging his cloak and ad tenderly caressing the broken plume in his bis cap he lustily began proclaim claiming log behold a mississippian who wants some gome mississippi f ten thousand shares at sixteen thousand livres a share I 1 who buys buya mississippi you fair air lr with the chestnut hair and beard ten thousand shares at sixteen thousand litreal who wants any mississippi the land discovered by johnny laj L where silver Is so plentiful atas lt l only used in paying paving roads where lumps lamps of gold are an strewn so 0 o thickly that no one on cares to dig beneath the surface I 1 six fingers crowded by me hla his eyes ye wolfish with greed freed as aj he h to this fantastic harangue just as he h must have bave listened to it many amax 00 the torl 1 crost H appeared to have been cut cart into antos a trance bance by um toe aimable nimbi mounting of as jib ala eye and liivi leaving the emki peak eri ees wild countenance As A the speech ended six ft aters shook hook alil ht head bud to shake off the spell pell and turned to lower at the mala main now the tattered fellow was waa strutting toward me demag jib hla worn wom cap and bowing low As aj I 1 acknowledged his ulu tatton he cour informed me 01 1 I am francois narbonne toese obese off say bay I 1 am mad perhaps it Is in go BO I 1 was poisoned in rue roe euln campola cam eam polz poix I 1 sold fold my heritage livres and bought an estate in this thin land of gold cold I 1 paid llam a square league for land I 1 never saw now I 1 pay you my respects as aa I 1 take it you must be some seme overlord or do 00 you hold only socage te nurel I 1 began to sense tragedy to in the pule pale face and reckless speech he be was waa not mad I 1 decided but bat close clolie to it 11 I 1 put him down as a young roisterer back in twirls who had bad become fascinated by the ridiculous tales tale ile be had bad invested hla his entire patrimony in the land he be had bad never seen the island the view of the main the nature of his fellow voyagers had bad awakened him to the truth the stock jobbers obreen patter was his bis fashion of showing allowing telf self derision perhaps was his only safeguard against insanity I 1 concluded I 1 liked him I 1 briefly stated my name and my reasons for licking b lang on the mississippi lie he threw back his bis head bead and laughed laughed until the tears ran down his thin face at last he be gasped A runaway englishman forced to live herel beret and a frenchman who gives all he be bath for the same game blessed privilege I 1 I 1 must go without food for a day and say 12 and as A many aves at the shrine ol of the virgin no no not all that ive been without food tor for three days I 1 owe nothing more than candles to the altar alfar ill turn heretic ril ill turn indian eh brampton would you kindly convince me with a display of the latest steps of the war dance B 1 ll 11 I 1 but hes an odd bab fishr I 1 mumbled muni bled six fingers me be was dull enough coming over with his moping and groaning until we was wap two days from the coast then he began his talk about gold till ones mouth would water ali ah now he be begins narbonne who was addres addressing bIng non henhe to the circle suddenly Buil denly gave his attention to me and explained 1 I was thirsty and wati wandered dered to one of the lakes of rare wine which bless this island and so was not hj when the boats set ball I 1 was waa so abny gathering diamonds formed from dewdrops that I 1 lost sight of the precious jewels among us here I 1 missed one jewel in particular nor do I 1 see her now she was dressed in black most unholy of colors for one entering this land of enchantment did she rhe go to the mainland or Is she wandering about the island in the second boat baat I 1 coldly in formed him the effect of the question on sli six fingers was amazing he became into a diemon demon of hate his bis squat body seeming to dilate as he crouched and glared at narbonne D n your lugs he cried so that Is your game eh youre after her chati the old six toed rat dares address the mississippian without uncovering I 1 must have ono one of those withered ears and out came ame the cut ond and thrust sword and narbonne was lunging playfully and dexterously at the ancient with a scream of rage six sa fingers leaped backward and yanked out his dirk and catching it bj bi the tip hurled it at his tormentor only by dropping to the ground did narbonne escape it before the matter could proceed to more serious results sergeant was between the two men and hoarsely bowling bawling ills excellency rules that blood will have blood hanging banging for a killing the galleys for the man who attempts to kill you two are so full of life you shall come with me and help bury two dead men and a woman the rest of you stay here and as for you Engl englishman lahman his bis excellences orders are that you be here when he returns 1 I came purposely to meet him I 1 said till we meet again monsieur narbonne monsieur Is very polite I 1 repeat his words and took look ahead to meeting him on the golden silver mainland pardal A gravedigger grave digger 1 eie bel I 1 hel be come along little su six toed rat we way may find told gold CHAPTER III sad bad news new and sad news two years before nicholas tie de per fer under directions from the com company parly had bad prepared a map of the mississippi country which flamed the fever tor for speculation the company also made changes in the old map made by john fenex the englishman so GO as to victure picture the country a wonderful el dorado while herman moll prominent english cartographer marked across his bis map of the country west of ur the mississippi this country to Is full of mines it Is true tree thit that my own countrymen la in petitioning the lords of trade to exta establish blish military pots posts on an the oft ba 1 hamu ui port awal boyal idius to the til of et activity in coto bolch th taa valley ovalley urged that clr cert of these the could be malt but b by fold acted in the Appalachia nIt UV oly explorations exploration iiii af fiade mad to discover suck inch but bat unlike the french my people never deliberately tooled themselves that the company would M sort to io almost a any deception to lure lore colonists colon lita to Lou louisiana was as shown wa when silver wax was carried from rom mexico to the th upper tipper waters of the mississippi and later discovered there as aa proof of 0 the rich mines yr waiting alting to be uncovered appeared at last lama and one more he be kept me waiting until he be bad loaded the two packets only this thile time he did not leave leare with teem 1 I saw narbonne Narbon nto and six fingers fugera return from burying the dead and clamber aboard the second boat their grew some task seemed to have made them excellent friend friend for they laughed and talked in an uproarious fashion his bis excellency now approached me m his bis steady gaze never leaving my fam face he abruptly began monsieur 64 ampton your coming gives me a disagreeable duty to per form I 1 could sentence you to be hung bung I 1 have bare bad 12 deserters hung bung and a spy Is worse that depends on the point oi of view your excellency I 1 replied rising and facing him you would never con elder eider one of your spies to be as deplorable plo rable a creature as one of your deserters ser may I 1 assume from your words that you do not intend to hang bang me 7 it will be the galleys he coldly answered 1 I should prefer to send you and other malefactors to ork in the silver mines in the wet weil but that cannot be until ive complo completed comp ted negotiations with the Span spaniards lards soldiers from santa fe have already come to the missouri I 1 informed him so there la Is a trail that might be safer than the gulf route so sol I 1 he ha exclaimed and I 1 knew I 1 had bad hla hia interest then he returned to my case and said eald monsieur brampton Brar opton you know me it roust must always be that an eye calls tor for an eye blood demands blood treachery calls for exacting punishment I 1 will be just which means the price must be paid whether its one of my soldiers a poor savage or a runaway english the price must be paid your excellency I 1 was told on pont font chartrain chartr aln that you were grieved at something I 1 was supposed to have done I 1 was warned that you would deal with me severely it if I 1 fell into your hands I 1 naked asked where I 1 could find you and the answer was ship island behold I 1 am here suppose you tell me what I 1 have done to merit your displeasure I 1 have waited long here to be told no no monsieur your 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